Engine-starting device.



key may be used to fasten sleeve 8 rigidly upon armature shaft 3. A pin 11 passes through `sleeve 8 and through the shaft 3 to assist the key 10 in holding said sleeve rigidly upon the armature shaft,l and. further to prevent any creeping aftion of said sleeve upon said shaft. Externally the sleeve 3 is provided with a smooth cylindrical surface which, when said sleeve is assembled in the above mentioned position, is adapted to' rotate within the bronze bushing 7. It will thus be seen that although armature Shaft 3 is primarily supported by the internal shoulder 9 of sleeve 8 said armature shaft finds its true bearing in the cylindrical bushing 7 and since said bushing presents a generous bearing surface a proper alinewith screw threads 12.

ment of the rotating members is always assured, and furthermore the maintenance of suiicient lubrication is greatly facilitated; Internally said hollow sleeve 8 is provided A driving pinion 13 with an integrally formed sleeve 14 comrise the driving member of my starter. Said driving member is provided with a circular recess 15 extending longitudinallyY therethrough and being of a diameter adapted to permit said driving member to be mounted upon motor shaft extension 3 for sliding and longitudinal motion. relative thereto. integral sleeve 14 has its exterior surface provided with threads 16 corresponding to and adapted to mesh with said internal threads 12 of the hollow sleeve 8. Pinion 13 carries the ordinary gear teeth 17 which are adapted to mesh with similar teeth 18 cut in the surface of fly wheel 19. n the drawing only a portion of said iiy wheel is illustrated since a more elaborate showing thereof is not necessary to a clear understanding' of my invention.

Fastened to flange 6 of member 4 by suitable means such as bolts 20, is a supplemental member 21 havinga depending por tion 22, which extends downward to a position in line with the shaft 3. Fastened to the said depending portion 22 is a resilient member 23 extending inward in line with the axis of shaft 3. Said resilient means is seen to be in form of a coil spring which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, tapers gradually to ward its end and having. its last convolution 24 somewhat enlarged for a purpose to be presently described. Driving pinion 13 is provided with a counterbore 25, which shoulder 26, resulting therefrom, is adapted to be engaged by the enlarged convolution 211 of the spring 23 as seen in Fig. l. Arranged about the shaft 3 within the hollow sleeve 8 and preferably at a point adjacent to shoulder 9thereof, is a second resilientmemher 27,. Said member 27 is designed as a compression spring and, to perform 'the .functionfor which it is intended said spring is designed with consyderable stiffness, in order ingente to oder appreciable resistance when being compressed. Said spring is adapted to be eneaged by the sleeve 14 of the driving memf ber while pinion 13 is' meshing with the engine member 19, to thereby furnish a yielding; stop \for the inward travel ofsaid driving member. By properly designing spring 27 its force of resistance to compression by sleeve 14 may be made to prevent the further advancement of pinion 13 after said pinion has reached its complete engagement with en ine member 19. In other words the force oered by spring 27 when pinion 13 is in complete engagement with engine member 19, as in Fig. 2, is j um suflioient to hold said pinion against further advancement due tothe resistance offered bythe engine when being started. By this construction the compression member 27 servesl as a yielding balance for the forces incidental to the starting of the engine, and by such provision the screw threaded members 8 and 14 arev relieved of considerable stress that they would otherwise be forced to bear were the driving pinion permitted to unyieldingly contact 4some rigid member as a limiting stop for its inward travel.

Coming now to a description of the use and operation of my starter, reference' is first to be had to Fig. 1 wherein the engine and starting motor are shown to be at rest and the driving pinion 13 in its retracted position. 1t will be observed that while the driving pinion is assuming this position the counterbore 25 of saiddriving pinion has moved into the range of spring 23 so that shoulder 26 has encountered the' enlarged convolution 24, thereof and has thereby `forced said spring into its contracted position shown in F ig. 1. Power may now be applied to the motor armature 1 with the result that said armature with its shaft extension 3 begin to rotate, and since the sleeve 8, as previously mentioned, is secured to shaft 3 said sleeve rotates in unison therewith to serve as a support and journal for said shaft extension 3.' Coincident with the rotation of sleeve 8 there is also a tendency of the driving member to rotate, the same being in screw threaded engagement therewith. But spring 23 being in pressing contact with shoulder 26 the frictional resistance resulting therefrom together` with the inertia of the driving member is suiii'cient to overcome this tendency and to restrain said driving member against rotation. Consequently as rotation of the sleeve 8 continues the lsleeve 14 is. drawn inward by virtue of .its threaded engagement with said sleeve, while at the same time spring 23 proceeds to expand and follow pinion 13 frictional resistance necessary to prevent any rotation thereof. These conditions obtained to thereby maintain the until pinion 13 has 'moved inward to such ment with teeth 1d ot engine member 19, atf

which time the spring 2 3 has fully expanded and no Alonger has any holding eti'ect upon the pinion 13. However, said pinion now being in partial mesh with engine Wheel 19 is thereby held against rotation and continues to advance into its full mesh position vwith said engine member. At the time pinion 13 has `acmrired said hill mesh position, seen in Fig. 2, the inner end olf-sleeve ist has encountered and compressed the buffer member 27 to a oint wherein its force ot' resistance is su 'cient to prohibit Athe further advancement of pinion' 13, whereby said piniomthrough the medium of sleeve 8, is rotatively driven by shaft 3 to drive in turn theengine member 19. 1When the engine picks up on its own power member 19 acquires a. speed greater than the speed at which it Was drivenby pinion 13 While being cranked. The engine thus driving the pinion has the effect of reversing .the thrust of the screw threaded sleeve 14.

Consequently the driving member is thrown out of mesh with the engine member, the 'spring 23 serving to prevent rotation o said pinion while it is moving toits normal inop :ative position, and further providingn a cushion means 'to receive the impulse of the driving pinion as it is thrown out of said employed, and that the drivingr shaft may, it desirable, be a counter shaft or the like, suitably connected by gearing to the dri vingn motor. i

Although l have shown but one embodiment of-my invention' l do not care to be limited to' the exact details of construction and operation shown therein, it is obvious that many changes and alterations may be engagement. ln this manner my starter performs its complete working cycle.

Considering Fig. 3, there is shown here a modification of the device used to secure the driving pinion from rotation AWhile passing into and out of its driving engagement.. 1n

(this modified form l, have provided ameans `which may bc substituted for the spring 23, and which consists of a bolt 28 `having a head tion of the driving` force betvveen the ing pinion and the engine fly Wheel. This provision does away with all shocks and stresses on the Working members.

ln my present invention l prefer to utiiize an electric motor, and l also prefer to havel the driving' sha'tt 3 a continuation of the armature shaft as shown, yet l' fully appro 29 and a threaded reduced portion 30. Said bolt is adapted to be suitably fastened: to the depending portion 2201i member 21 as by a nut 31. Loosely mounted `upon bolt 2S is a flanged Washer 32 normally held' made by those skilled in the art Without deviating from the spirit of said invention, and all of which changes are believed to fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my inventivm what l claim iszv l. An .engine starter having in combination with an engine operated member, a motor driven shaft, a driving pinion having an externally threaded sleeve and mounted upon said shaft for longitudinal movement thereon, an internally threaded sleeve secured to said shaft Jfor rotation therewith and cooperating with said externally thread'-Y edsleeve to draw the driving pinion into engagement'ivith the engine member, and yieldingl frictional meanseoperating With an annular shoulder on said pinion to hold the same from rotating while passing into said engagement- 2. An engine starter having in combination-with an engine operated member, a motor driven shaft, a driving pinion having anV exteri'ially threaded sleeve and mounted lupon said shaft for longitudinal movement thereon, an internally threaded sleeve fasvtened to said'shaft for rotation thercivitlr Sti loo

and coperating With-said externally thread i' ed sleeve to move said pinion intoengag'ement with the engine member, and resilient `means adapted to maintain frictional Contact with said pinion for the purpose of holding ythe same from rotating while passing into said engagement.

3. An engine starter having in combina- I tion with an engine operated member, a motor driven shaft, a hollow drivin member having an externally threaded seeve and mounted upon said shaft for longitudinal movement thereon, an internally threadedV sleeve fastened to said shaft to rotate therewith and coperatingr vvith the-irst said sleeve to move said driving member into engagementwith,thefengine member, an internal annulaishoulder on said driving "member copemtingk with resilient means ciate'that any suitable type of motor may he whereby said driving member is frictionally held from rotation While moving into said engagement with the engine member.

e. An engine starter havingl in combination With a member operated by the engine, a motor driven shaft, a threaded sleeve secured to sain shaft for rotation therewith, a driving; member mounted uponsaid shaft and adapted tor atrial movement relative thereto, said drivingI member having a i threaded sleeve cooperating with the rst ya coiled spring having said sleeve to move said driving member into engagement with the engine member, a

spring adapted to frictionally contact with said driving member to hold the same from rotation While passing into said engagement with the engine member, said first mentioned sleeve serving also as a journal for the motor driven shaft. t i

5. An engine starter haviiiig in combination With a member driven by the engine, a motor driven shaft, an internally threaded sleeve secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a hollow driving member having an externally threaded sleeve and mounted upon said shaft for axial movementrelative thereto, said sleeves coperating With'each other for the purpose of moving said driving memberinto and out of driving engagement With the engine member, an annular shoulderformed by 'a counterbore in said driving member,l flexible means frictionally engaging said shoulder whereby said driving member is prevented from rotating While passing into and out of said engagement with the engine member.

.6. An engine starter having in combination with a member driven by the engine, a

lmotor, a shaft driven thereby,..a driving member, means including said shaft for causing said driving member to pass automatically into and out of driving engage- 'ment with the engine member, means cooperating with said driving member to frictionally iold the same from rotation While moving into and out of said engagement with the engine member, said last named means serving also as a buffer member for y said driving member when being disengaged lfrom said engine member.

7. A n engine starter having in combination with a member driven by the engine,

a motor driven shaft, a driving memberA driven by said shaft to engage and drive said engine member, means to automatically move said driving member into engagement with the engine member and yielding means to absorb the shock of such engagement, an enlarged convolution at one end-thereof, said enlarged convolution being adapted to engage said drv 'ing member for the purpose of holding the same from rotation While moving into said yengagement With the engine member.

8. Anengine'starter havin in combination with a member operated y the engine, a motora shaft operated thereby, an end platefor said motor having a cylindrical recess therein, a cylindrical bushin Within said recess serving as a bearing or said shaft, a sleeve Within said bushing and secured to thejmotor shaft thereby serving a a journal for the same, a driving member im iiited upon said shaft and coperatin Wih said sleeve in such` a Way that i v motor driven sha .-a driving .member carried by said shaft and lplate for said motor having meente drivingly engage said engine member when said motor shaft is operated.

9. An engine starter having in combination with a member operated by the engine, :i motor, a shaft operated thereby, an end plate for said motor having a cylindrical recess therein, a cylindrical ushing Within said recess serving as a bearing for the motor shaft, a sleeve Within said bushin and secured to rotate with said motor sha thereby serving as a journal therefor, a driving member mounted upon said shaft and cooperating with said sleeve in such a Way* that said driving member is automatically moved to engage the engine member when driving member is automatically moved to y the motor shaft is operated, and means carried by said end plate to prevent said driving member from rotating while moving to engage the engine member.

l0. An engine starter having in combina- I the engine,'

tion with a member driven b a motor, a shaft driven therebI member mounted upon said shaft thereby, ber into engine member, an end plate for said motor, a supplemental member attached to said end plate, means attached to said supplemental member and cooperating with said driving member to frictionally hold the same a driving and driven means to move said driving memand out of engagement with said from rotation While moving into said en-Y gagement with the engine member, said last mentioned `means serving also as an absorption member to receive the impulse of the driving member When'thrown out of engagement with the engine member.

11. An engine starter having in combination with an en 'ne operated member, a motor driven shaftl, a hollow driving member Vhaving an externally threaded sleeve and mounted upon Said shaft for longitudinal movement thereon, an internally threaded sleeve fastened to said shaft to rotate therewith and coperating with th first said sleeve to move said driving member into engagement with the engine member, and means coperating With said hollow driving member to prevent the saine from rotating While engaging with the engine member.

A12. An engine tion Withan engine operated member, a

t, a journal for said shaft,

means on said journal coacting with means starter having in combinaon said driving member to move the same into engagement with the enginel operated member, and means to prevent the rotation of the driving member while 'such engagement is being made.

13. An engine starter havin in combination with a member operated y the engine, a motor, a shaft operated thereby, an end a cylindrical metrage@ i recess therein, e 4hollow sleeve di osed cen- `centrieally about the motor she and arranged to rotate Within said cylindrical recess thereby Serving as a journal for said motor drivenshaft, internal threads Within said hollenY sleeve, e driving member mounted upon said Shaft' and heving an externally threaded Sleeve adapted to engage the in ternal threads on said first mentioned sleeve, whereby seid driving member is mite matieally moved longitudinally of seid motor shaft to driving-ly engage and flieengage seid engine member.

ln Witness whereof l affix my signature.

EDl/VARD J. 'lCOli/LLINSUN. 

